Method and device for separating cigarettes from a continuous line

ABSTRACT

This device for longitudinally separating cigarettes in a continuous line of cigarettes pushing one another in end to end relationship is of the type wherein each cigarette is accelerated in succession in order to increase its linear speed and impart thereto a certain &#39;&#39;&#39;&#39;lead&#39;&#39;&#39;&#39; to the next cigarette in the line. All the cigarettes of the line are engaged by turns by an accelerator member which, as it engages the cigarette, has a peripheral speed equal to the feed speed of the cigarette, this peripheral speed increasing gradually up to the maximum predetermined value, whereafter the action of said accelerator member on the cigarette ceases and is applied subsequently to the next cigarette in the line. Thus, any shock is avoided during the successive acceleration of each cigarette, and the operation of the device is smoother while avoiding any undue wear and tear of the accelerator members.

United States Patent 1 1 Verjux [54] METHOD AND DEVICE FOR SEPAR TING CIGARETTES FROM A CONTINUOUS LINE Jean Verjux, Pavillons sousfiois,

[75] Inventor:

' France [7 31 Assignee: Usines Decoutle,-Paris, France [22] Filed: July 29, 1971 [21] Appl. No.: 167,243

[30] Foreign Application Priority Data 1451 Aug. 20, 1974 Primary Examiner-Richard A. Schacher Assistant Examiner-Douglas D. Watts Attorney, Agent, or Firm-Amster & Rothstein '57] ABSTRACT This device for longitudinally separating cigarettes in a continuous line of cigarettes pushing one another in end to end relationship is .of the type wherein each cigarette is accelerated in succession in order to increase its linear speed and impart thereto a certain lea to the next cigarette in the line.

All the cigarettes of the line are engaged by turns by an accelerator member which, as it engages the cigarette, has a peripheral speed equal to the feed speed of the cigarette, this peripheral speed increasing gradually up to the maximum predetermined value, whereafter the action of said accelerator member on the cigarette ceases and, is applied subsequently to the next cigarette in the line. 1

Thus, any shock is avoided during the successive acceleration of each cigarette, and the operation of t the device is smoother while avoiding any undue wear and tear of the accelerator members.

2 Claims, 4 Drawing Figures METHOD AND DEVICE FOR SEPARATING CIGARETTES FROM A CONTINUOUS LINE BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION The present invention relates in general to cigarettemaking machines and has specific reference to improved means for separating cigarettes from a continuous line of cigarettes disposed end to end and pushing one another.

It is known that modern cigarette-making machines are designed for preparing an endless rectilinear twist of tobacco wrapped in paper and adapted to be subsequently cut into sections of equal length, whereafter the cigarette travel in end to end relationship along a still continuous line.

Then these cigarettes are disposed on an endless conveyor belt or on a notched drum, but is most instances this operation cannot be performed unless the cigarettes pushing one another in end to end relationship are separated in order to form therebetween gaps as large as l or 2 inches.

To separate the cigarettes a suitable acceleration is applied to each of them, the speed increment obviously causing each cigarette to take a certain lead on the following one.

Now in known methods this acceleration is applied rather abruptly due to the fact that the cigarette engaging and accelerating member has a constant peripheral speed higher than the linear speed of the cigarette; thus, when this member engages the cigarette the latter receives a shock and in addition, due to the relative slip occurring at the beginning of this contact, a certain degree of wear takes place in the driving member. These apparently minor inconveniences are accentuated by the fact that modern cigarette-making machines have extremely high production rates, since they are designed for making several thousands of cigarettes per minute.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION It is the essential object of the present invention to provide a method of and a device for the purpose specified hereinabove, which is of the continuous operation type and adapted nevertheless to impart a progressive acceleration to the cigarette.

To this end, the method according to this invention for longitudinally separating cigarettes forming a continuous line pushing one another in end to end relation ship is characterized in that all the cigarettes of the line are engaged in succession by an accelerator member which, at the time of its actual engagement with a given cigarette, has a peripheral speed equal to the linear speed of this cigarette, said peripheral speed increasing however gradually up to the selected maximum value, and when this value is attained the accelerator member releases the cigarette in order subsequently to engage the next cigarette in the line.

The device according to this invention for carrying out the method set forth hereinabove is characterized in that said accelerator member is of substantially semicircular configuration and adapted to revolve about an axis eccentric in relation to the axis of rotation of a driving crankpin revolving at a continuous speed while engaging a radial slot or groove of said accelerator member so as to impart a continuously varying rotational speed to this member during its rotation, while sliding in said slot or groove.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWING member;

FIG. 3 is a diagrammatic plan view of the device; FIG. 4 is a part-sectional, part-elevational view of the device, with parts broken away.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT The accelerator member illustrated in FIG. 1 consists of a first plate 1 centered at 0 and bound by two semicircular arcs 2, 3 having different diameters. This plate 1 is rotatably driven about its center 0 by a crankpin 4 carried by another plate 5, said crankpin 4 engaging a radial slot or groove 6 formed in the first plate 1 and being rotatably driven in turn about its center 0,.

Let r be the distance measured from the axis of crankpin 4 to the center 0 of the crankpin carrier plate 5, and e the throw or eccentricity of this center 0, in relation to the center 0 of the first plate 1; furthermore, let a and B be the angles measured between the straight lines connecting the crankpin axis 4 to the centers 0 and 0, on the one hand, and the line 00 on the other hand, a simple calculation will give the following equaldB/dt [r (r e cos.B)/(r e 2er cosa)] da/a't This equality shows that the momentary rotational speed of crankpin 4 in relation to the center 0 of the first plate i increases gradaully from a minimum to a maximum, and then decreases systematically. This obviously applies to all and any points of said first plate I The minimum corresponds to a 0, and is equal to:

The maximum corresponds to: a and is equal to:

FIG. 2 is a diagram showing the variation in the ratio (dB/dt)/(da/dt) for given values of r and e when the angle (it varies from 0 to 180. This diagram shows that the speed acceleration is extremely progressive. Therefore, by using this accelerator member it is possible to gradually accelerate the cigarette speed up to the desired, predetermined value. The only requirement is to select the proper e/r ratio.

Then, the accelerator radius R, i.e., the arc 2, must be so selected that the minimum accelerator speed be equal to the normal feed speed of the cigarettes (i.e., before the acceleration takes place) having a length L. This requirement is met if the following equality:

217R r/(r+e)=L is adhered to.

At the most, the accelerator member is operative along one-half of its peripheral contour corresponding to the aforesaid arc 2 having a constant radius R. During the other half of this contour it remains inoperative. Therefore, the crankpin 4 must rotate at a speed (in rpm s) equal to the number of cigarettes produced per minute.

To operate an accelerator member of this type the arrangement may be such, as illustrated in FIGS. 3 and 4, that the cigarettes 7 pushing one another downstream of the cutter (not shown) in the direction of the arrow in a channel or trough 8, are engaged in succession into the gap formed between a pair of identical accelerator rollers 9, 10 of the type illustrated in FIG. I.

These accelerator rollers have an operative sector 2 of substantially frustoconical configuration and an inoperative sector 3 which may'also have a frustoconical configuration; these rollers are each secured to the end of aishaft 11 inclined to the vertical (FIG. 4) by an angle corresponding to one-half of the vertex angle of the frustum formed by each frustoconical roller, whereby the generatrices AB and CD of these rollers extend vertically.

The shaft 11 to which the roller 9 is secured carries a plate 12 formed with a radial groove 13 engaged by a rolling contact bearing 14 carried by the crankpin 15; this crankpin l5v is secured to the crankpin carrier plate 16 mounted in turn on shaft 17 ..The axes of shafts 11 and 17 are mounted in eccentric relationship, the corresponding throw being e as defined hereinabove. The roller 10 is secured likewise to a shaft 18 driven from a shaft 19 through the same means as those provided between shafts l1 and 17.

The shafts l7 and 19 are driven from a common shaft 20 via two bevel gears, namely bevel gear 21, 22 in the case of shaft 17 and bevel gear 23, 24 in the case of shaft 19. Shaft 20 is rotatably mounted in a bracket 25 and driven through a cogged belt engaging a corresponding'pulley 26 rigid with said shaft 20. The shafts 20, 17 and 19 revolve at a speed equal, in rpms, to the number of cigarettes produced in one minute by the machine.

The support 27 of shafts l1 and 17, and the support 28 of shafts 18 and 19 are mounted on bracket 25 and adapted to slide in relation thereto, in a horizontal direction perpendicular to the axis of cigarettes 7.

The bracket 25 is mounted to a fixed frame structure 29 but adapted to slide vertically in relation thereto.

To adjust the relative spacing of rollers 9 and 10 according to the cigarette diameter, the supports 27 and 28 are firstly released, then moved forwards or backwards by causing them to slide on the support 25, and finally locked in the proper position.

The proper diameter R ofthe accelerator rollers is obtained by moving the bracket 25 upwards or down- The rollers 9 and 10 mounted to the ends of shafts ll and 18 are adapted to rotate about these shafts so that the leasing point of first point of engagement of the operative sector of the accelerator members can be adjusted with precision in relation to the upstream end of the cigarette.

Of course, this invention should not be construed as being strictly limited by the specific form of embodiment shown and described herein, since various modifications may be brought thereto without departing from the basic principle of the invention as set forth in the appended claims.

What is claimed is:

1. Device for longitudinally separating cigarettes in a continuous line of cigarettes pushing one another in end to end relationship at the exit end of a continuous cigarette-making machine, in which all the cigarettes of theline are engaged by turns to an accelerator member which, when engaging a cigarette, has a peripheral speed equal to the feed speed of the cigarette, this peripheral speed of said accelerator member increasing gradually up to a maximum predetermined value, whereafter said accelerator member ceases to engage the cigarette before engaging the next cigarette in theline, wherein the accelerator member consists of two similar frustoconical rollers, each of them being secured to a shaft forming with the vertical an angle equal to one-half of the vertex angle of the frustum of said roller, said shaft being rigid with a plate formed with a radial groove and rotatably driven from a crankpin engaging said groove, said crankpin being carried by a plate rigid in turn with a driving shaft parallel, and eccentric in relation, to said roller shaft, these two similar frustoconical rollers being mounted symmetrically in relation to a vertical plane containing the axis of the line of cigarettes to be separated longitudinally, each of said rollers including an operative sector and an inoper ative sector, said inoperative sector being of a smaller radius than said operative sector, support means for movably mounting said rollers, said support means being movable along a first axis at right angles to said vertical plane and along a second axis, parallel to said vertical plane, and means for locking said rollers in any adjusted position.

2. Device according to claim 1, characterized in that each frustoconical roller is adapted to be set in the desired angular position on its shaft. 

1. Device for longitudinally separating cigarettes in a continuous line of cigarettes pushing one another in end to end relationship at the exit end of a continuous cigarette-making machine, in which all the cigarettes of the line are engaged by turns to an accelerator member which, when engaging a cigarette, has a peripheral speed equal to the feed speed of the cigarette, this peripheral speed of said accelerator member increasing gradually up to a maximum predetermined value, whereafter said accelerator member ceases to engage the cigarette before engaging the next cigarette in the line, wherein the accelerator member consists of two similar frustoconical rollers, each of them being secured to a shaft forming with the veRtical an angle equal to one-half of the vertex angle of the frustum of said roller, said shaft being rigid with a plate formed with a radial groove and rotatably driven from a crankpin engaging said groove, said crankpin being carried by a plate rigid in turn with a driving shaft parallel, and eccentric in relation, to said roller shaft, these two similar frustoconical rollers being mounted symmetrically in relation to a vertical plane containing the axis of the line of cigarettes to be separated longitudinally, each of said rollers including an operative sector and an inoperative sector, said inoperative sector being of a smaller radius than said operative sector, support means for movably mounting said rollers, said support means being movable along a first axis at right angles to said vertical plane and along a second axis, parallel to said vertical plane, and means for locking said rollers in any adjusted position.
 2. Device according to claim 1, characterized in that each frustoconical roller is adapted to be set in the desired angular position on its shaft. 